Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1905 — JUDGE BAKER EXONERATED! [ARTICLE]

JUDGE BAKER EXONERATED!

"Hello, Friday.” And Sam jes’ 1-a-u-g-h-e-d. Wonder if "Mao” didn’t set up that three columns of matter on Clarkey’s type-setting machine? Once more The Democrat has triumphed over its enemies. Now, Clarkey, will you and Bowie be good ? Well, Bro. Marshall, "the joke” seems to be on our competitors, and especially on “Clarkey” and his man Friday Now that "Clarkey” has got The Democrat’s piano contest settled to his satisfaction (?) we presume that his one-man print shop will not be obliged to turn away (?) so much job work for the other offices to get. And to think that the “old man of the sea,” McEwen, has worked constantly for three weeks and got up three columns of "matter” over the stopping that piano contest, only to fall with a sickening thud when the truth comes out in The Democrat today. Don’t know whether the old man will be able to survive the shock or not. They have a peculiar municipal campaign on in New York city, with three tickets in the field, democratic, republican and independent. Wm. R. Hearst is the independent candidate, running on a municipal ownership platform, and it looks now like the republicans would all have to vote for McClellan, the regular democratic candidate, or Hearst will be elected sure as fate. Bowie says: */did it. It was I who spiked The Democrat’s piano contest.’ ’Clarkey’ studied out the scheme and told me to ’spike it,’ and as ‘Clarkey’ is my boss I did it. ‘Clarkey’ didn’t want to be known in the matter at all, and, even though I am working for him and have to do bis dirty work, / propose to have all the credit for spiking that piano contest of the measly Democrat editor. Don’t Clarkey wish now he had done it himself instead of telling me to do it? Wow! Fill em up again, boys, and Clarkey will pay the bill. Big Injun Me! Z'ni a spiker, I am. Wow! In The Democrat’s mention of the conduct of city affairs in Rensselaer by common councils past and present, it should not be understood to mean, in its reference to graft, that any member, of the council has profited in the way of “rake-offs” on contracts. "Graft” does not always mean such by any means. It may be shown in giving out contracts and jobs to political favorites without competition, in the unjustifiable increase of salaries of city employes, in the furnishing of supplies and material for city use, etc., etc. Perhaps most members of these councils have meant to do what they considered best for the city, but no good business men would manage their own private affairs in the manner that city affairs here have been managed. There was probably never a time in the history of this country when voters are paying so little attention to party lines in the management of local affairs, and in numerous towns nonpartisan

tickets have been placed in the field, both parties joining in the conventions that nominated them. The people are becoming aroused at last to the fact that it doesn’t matter so much if the affairs of their city, town, township or cpunty are managed by democrats or republicans, just so they are honest men, and for this reason party lines are being obliterated when it comes time to select men to fill local offices. Commenting on this the Fowler Leader (republican) says: Sticking to the party has made Philadelphia the most corrupt city in the world, and immoral. And now with prayer and fasting of the women a great battle against corruption is being fought out. The Newton County Enterprise, also republican, says: "The Enterprise has always contended that politics should be dropped in town affairs, and men selected to the various offices by reason of their fitness for the place; men who would give the town their best service without hope of selfish gain or political favor.” ■ This is a good sign, and it is hoped that the idea will spread until there is a great improvement wrought in the conduct of public affairs that are close to the people. It is with no small degree of pride that The Democrat this week publishes an endorsement of its views on "modern football” from so distinguished a gentleman as Rev. Father Seifert, President of St. Joseph’s College, the large Catholic institution near Rensselaer that has several hundred young men students on its enrollment each year from all parts of the United States. This institution encourages athletics in moderation, and baseball and kindred sports are indulged in a great deal, always under the supervision of some member Jof the faculty. It has bad football teams also, and numerous games have been played with outside teams, but the fact that some one or two of the faculty always went along with the team and had perfect control of the boys has reduced the number of accidents to the minimum. Of late, however, football sport has not been looked upon with as much favor, owing to the brutality of the game as now played and the great number of serious accidents that occur, it being the rule now rather than the exception for some one or more players in each game to be badly hurt. .President Siefert’s stand on this, at present very lively question, will be read with great interest by educators and parents all over the country.

Washington Newspaper Says He Will Not Be Called on to Plead in the Goshen Case. Washington. Nov. 3. The Post says: “United States Circuit Judge Francis E. Baker, of Indiana, will not be called upon to’plead to an Indictment charging him with violating the Civil service law which prohibits the collection of campaign assessments from government employes. This is the crux of a report submitted to the president by the department of justice, which has |ust concluded an investigation of the < harges against Judge Baker by the civil service commission. “Civil Service Commissioner Greene charged in his recent official statement of the case that several clerks employed in the postoffice at Goshen, Ind., had been urged by Judge Baker to subscribe 5 per cent, of their salaries to the Republican campaign fund three jears ago.”